Multiple pocketed freezer storage bag

ABSTRACT

A storage bag with multiple pockets inside of the bag. The bag will store material such as items in a freezer or refrigerator. The bag is used to store frozen materials in individual portions allowing for quick removal from a freezer eliminating the need to thaw large amounts of materials to remove them from the package. Each pocket contains a predetermined portion that is quickly removed and used. In the refrigerator, leftover meals are stored in one bag instead of multiple containers, saving time and money.

This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/455,993, filed Jun. 10, 2009, pending, from which priority is claimed.

The present invention deals with a bag with multiple pockets for retaining items. The invention allows for multiple individual portions to be stored in one bag and allows the user to remove the desired amount of each item without having to separate each for thawing. Each individual portion is ready for instant removal from the freezer bag.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Multi-compartment bags are not new to the art. However, none of the prior art bags combine a water and air impervious seal with a resealable capability, with multiple pockets within the same enclosure.

In U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,714 issued to Gee on Dec. 5, 2000 there is described a flexible plastic packaging apparatus having a plurality of compartments for containing products. Each bag has its own sealable enclosure and a common handle.

In U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,844 issued to Robinson on Feb. 19, 1991 there is described a double zipper pouch having first and second pockets with a common wall portion. This bag requires the opening of multiple openings to recover material within the pouches.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,851,069 issued to Davoren on Dec. 22, 1998 there is described a multiple compartment bag where one bag is formed on the face of the other. This bag has multiple openings instead of a single opening accessing multiple pockets.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,536 issued to Hill on Jun. 18, 1991 there is described a bag having a plurality of pockets. Each pocket has an individual seal not a common seal.

In U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,440,051 and 6,609,998 issued to Lauzon on Aug. 27, 2002 and Aug. 26, 2003, respectively, there is described a plastic film bag with a sealable end and a closable end. The pockets of Lauzon open near the side panel of the bag making access difficult. The bag of Lauzon is disclosed as a double compartment bag limiting its ability to perform the utility of the instant invention which has multiple pockets at different levels with access from the sealed opening of the bag.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,767,131 issued to Taheri on Jul. 27, 2004 features a multi-compartment reclosable bag with asymmetrical closures. This bag differs significantly in that each compartment has an external reclosable seal. The instant invention allows for multiple pockets within one reclosable seal. Each enclosure within the larger bag is equipped with an adhesive seal for retaining material within the larger bag. The user can have access to multiple items through one main seal instead of opening a reclosable seal to retrieve each item.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,001,615 issued to Price on Mar. 14, 2006, U.S. Pat. No. 6,579,008 issued to Price on Jun. 17, 2003 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,675 issued to Saad on May 22, 2001 all describe a multi-compartment bag that has multiple resealable openings and a raised ridge between the bags and the resealable openings.

THE INVENTION

The instant invention is a multiple pocket storage beg comprising in combination; first and second panels joined along multiple sides and bottom forming an enclosure, having multiple pockets within the enclosure.

The multiple pockets extend from the bottom of the bag to the opening at the top of the bag forming an enclosure capable of holding items. The pockets are in multiple rows and the pockets are in multiple levels.

The pockets are capable of sealing and resealing and the enclosure is also capable of sealing and resealing for the storage of items and other materials for freezer use that are suitable for storage in such a device. By “sealing”, it is meant for this invention, that the seal of each individual pocket and the seal of the enclosure are both sealed such that the seal is impervious to air and liquid water.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a full front view of one embodiment of a resealable bag with multiple pockets.

FIG. 2 is a full front view of one embodiment of a resealable bag with multiple pockets.

FIG. 3 is a full front view of one embodiment of a resealable bag with multiple pockets that are resealable.

FIG. 4 is a full side view of one embodiment of a resealable bag with the lower level or second level of the pockets sealed.

FIG. 5 is a side view of one embodiment of a resealable bag with flat bottoms.

FIG. 6 is a side view of one embodiment of a resealable bag without a bottom.

FIG. 7 is a full view of a pocket with pleated side panels.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a pocket with a bottom.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a pocket with a flat bottom panel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a full front view of one embodiment of a resealable bag 2 of this invention with multiple pockets 4. The bag 2 has a first side panel 8, a second side panel 10, a top 12, a bottom 14, a front panel 6 and a rear panel 7. Each bag 2 has an enclosure 15 and an enclosure seal 16. The bag 2 features a resealable enclosure 16 with multiple pockets 4 manufactured within the enclosure 15. Each pocket 4 has a first side 20, a second side 22, a top 18 and a bottom 24. Each pocket 4 is capable of holding items such as food stuffs but can be any item that needs to be stored either in combination or individually. The pockets 4 are in rows with at least multiple levels 34 and 36.

FIG. 2 is a full frontal view of one embodiment of a resealable bag 2 with multiple pockets 4. The bag 2 again has a first side 8, a second side 10, a top 12, a bottom 14, a front panel 6 and a rear panel 7. This embodiment has multiple levels of pockets which are the first level 34 and the second level 36. The pockets 4 of this embodiment are pleated 30. This bag 2 features a resealable enclosure 16 with multiple pockets 4 manufactured within the enclosure 15. The pockets consist of a first side 20, a second side 22, a top 18 and a bottom 24.

FIG. 3 is a full frontal view of one embodiment of a resealable bag 2 with resealable portion 26 of pockets 4. Again the bag 2 has a first side 8, a second side 10, a top 12, a bottom 14, a front panel 6 and a rear panel 7. The bag 2 also has an enclosure 15 and an enclosure seal 16. Each pocket 4 has a first side 20, a second side 22, a top 18, a bottom 24 and the second multiple level 36 has resealable portion 26 near the top 18. This embodiment features a side panel 28 giving the pocket 4 more capacity for storage.

FIG. 4 is a side view of one embodiment of a resealable bag 2 with the lower or second level 36 of the pockets 4 that are sealed. This view shows the relationship of the pockets 4 to the bag 2 and their capability to individually store items. The bag 2 has pockets 4 that themselves are resealable. The bag 2 has a first side 8, a second side 10, a top 12, a bottom 14, a front panel 6, a rear panel 7, an enclosure 15 and an enclosure seal 16. Within the bag 2 are multiple pockets 4 that consist of a first side 20, a second side 22, a top 18, a bottom 24, a side panel 28 and a resealable portion 26. From this view it is clear that items are placed within the pockets 4, sealed individually until the capacity of the bag has been reached or the user has run out of items.

FIG. 5 is a side view of one embodiment of a resealable bag 2 with flat bottoms 32. The bag 2 contains all of the components as described previously with the addition of the flat bottoms 32 in the pockets thereby increasing the capacity of the bag. This also allows the user to store items or different shapes with more success.

FIG. 6 is a side view of one embodiment of a resealable bag 2 with no bottom. The bag 2 contains all the components as previously described. Here multiple levels of pockets 34 and 36 display no bottoms again allowing the user to have a variety of shaped and sized pockets to better fit their needs.

FIG. 7 is a full view of a pocket 4 with pleated side panels 30. Shown in this view is the top 18, the first side 20, the second side 22, and the bottom 24. Also shown is the pleated side panel 30 that allows for expansion and contraction of the side allowing the user greater flexibility in their use of the product.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a pocket 4 with a bottom. This view shows that the user can place items through the pocket opening 38 into the confines of the opening for storage.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a pocket 4 with a flat bottom panel 32. This view shows that the user can place items through the pocket opening 38 into the confines of the opening for storage. The different configurations of the bags 2 and pockets 4 make the bags more conducive to a larger field of usage expanding the utility of the bags.

The utility of this invention is clear; it allows the user to store items individually for the refrigerator, freezer or dry storage. The user can store a meal in courses for further use, all in one bag. The user can buy in bulk, separate out the desired portion for one or more persons and store for future use. For example, one could buy a large volume of fresh, boneless, skinless chicken breast. On return home each breast could be placed within its own pocket and then frozen. The user then could remove one breast without disturbing the remaining contents. The utility is cost savings, time savings and food savings, and so on. The device allows the user to take one or more portions out easily. It allows the user to organize leftover food into a complete meal. Because of the size range that the bags are available in, the user can store virtually any portion of food within the bags. The individual pockets create a situation where food will not freeze together or stick together. The bags lend themselves to space saving in the refrigerator, freezer and dry storage because foods are more organized within the pockets of the bags. One bag can be pulled out of the freezer with a full course dinner in multiple pockets, placed in a microwave oven and thereafter eaten.

The user can store leftovers for a quick reheat of the entire dinner at the same time saving the user valuable time to heat all items separately. It will all be in same bag but individually stored so there is no mixing or contamination of foods.

Individual users can make large meals and save individual portions in each pocket of one bag and then freeze that bag. In future use the user can go the freezer and remove one individual portion for use without having to thaw all the contents of the bag. This saves time, money and food. The portions are stored individually preventing them from sticking together wasting food or damaging undesired amounts.

This device has broader use, such as use in laboratories to store samples from one project together but still maintaining their individuality. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A multiple pocket storage bag comprising in combination; a first and second panels joined along multiple sides and bottom thereof; forming an enclosure, within said enclosure being formed multiple pockets; said multiple pockets extending from said bottom to opening of said enclosure capable of holding items; said pockets forming at least one row; said pockets forming at least one level; said pockets being capable of sealing such that the seals are impervious to air and liquid water; said enclosure being capable of sealing such that the seals are impervious to air and liquid water.
 2. A multiple pocket storage bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pockets have flat bottoms.
 3. A multiple pocket storage bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pockets have beveled bottoms.
 4. A multiple pocket storage bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein the enclosure has at least one pocket contained therein.
 5. A multiple pocket storage bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein the enclosure is manufactured from plastic.
 6. A multiple pocket storage bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein the enclosure is resealable.
 7. A multiple pocket storage beg as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pockets are on both sides of the enclosure.
 8. A multiple pocket storage bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pockets are on one side of the bag.
 9. A multiple pocket storage bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein the size of bag ranges from two gallon to one ounce.
 10. A multiple pocket storage bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein more preferably the size of the bag ranges from one gallon to sixteen ounces.
 11. A multiple pocket storage bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein the size of the bag ranges from one quart to two quarts.
 12. A multiple pocket storage bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pockets have a bottom panel.
 13. A multiple pocket storage bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pockets have no bottom panel.
 14. A multiple pocket storage bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pockets have a side panel.
 15. A multiple pocket storage bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pockets have a pleated side panel.
 16. A multiple pocket storage bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pockets have no side panel.
 17. The multiple pocket storage bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pockets extend from said bottom to said top of said bag.
 18. The multiple pocket storage bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pockets form at least one level.
 19. The multiple pocket storage bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pockets are on one side of the enclosure.
 20. A method of storing food in a freezer, the method comprising: I. providing a multiple pocket storage bag as claimed in claim 1; II. placing a desired food in at least one pocket of said multiple pocket storage bag; III. storing said multiple pocket storage bag containing said desired food in a freezer. 